Tuesday, March 11 2008
By David Woodfill (
East Valley Tribune - AZ)
No butts about it.Tobacco store owners serving alcohol are banned from allowing patrons to smoke, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge ruled Monday.
The ruling was issued in response to a lawsuit filed by Amar M. Patel - owner of Magnum's Cigars Wine & Liquor in Phoenix - who wanted the court to bar state health officials from enforcing the 2006 Smoke Free Arizona Act, which bans smoking in public places, including bars.
In the suit, Patel asserted that he was exempt from the ban because it made exceptions for tobacco store owners who derived a majority of their sales from tobacco products.
Although Judge Richard J. Trujillo called Patel's argument "thoughtful and interesting," he sided with the state, which argued that Magnum's is a bar because it has a license to serve booze.
Story continues at eastvalleytribune.com...
